ROUND 8 of the Vitality Netball Superleague may prove to be an interesting one, with five matches to be played over the weekend, as well as a Round 2 replacement match between Wasps Netball and Manchester Thunder. This may be the game to watch this week, as first plays third on the ladder to partially even up the standings as we get to the midway point of the 2019 season. Meanwhile, a number of matches will be played between mid-to-lower ranked teams on the leaderboard, as Loughborough Lightning host London Pulse, Thunder also take on Team Bath while Strathclyde Sirens will make the journey to play the Wasps.

The first game of Round 8 will see Team Bath host Manchester Thunder at 7:30pm at Team Bath Arena on Friday night. Team Bath are coming off a frustrating loss to Wasps Netball in Round 7, while Thunder are hoping to continue their good form after a dominant win over Celtic Dragons last week. Bath dropped to fifth after their Round 7 loss, so will be hoping Thunder will take this game at a slower pace given they take on high flyers, Wasps Netball the following Wednesday. However Bath can’t rely on their fellow top five side to go in too easy, with Thunder sitting in an opportune position to leap-frog the Saracens Mavericks into second on the ladder if they can get their percentage up in a win or two this week.

Saturday’s first matchup will see Surrey Storm take on Celtic Dragons, in what will be a battle to stay out of the bottom four. With Storm hosting the Dragons at Surrey Sports Park at 6pm, it will certainly be a match that could impact the standing of not only their own sides, but also those around them. The Storm have been effective over the past few weeks, however were over-run by a stellar Loughborough Lightning side in Round 7. Meanwhile the Dragons suffered a disappointing defeat last week, letting Manchester Thunder get on top of them, however showed some good patches throughout the middle two quarters. If the Dragons can get on top of their own consistency throughout the match, the Storm may have some issues, with their season so far showing their main inconsistency in their own middle thirds.

Also at 6pm, Loughborough Lightning will host the London Pulse, a side that has not won a game since Round 1. Hosted at Sir David Wallace Arena, the Lightning will want to pull out all the stops to prove their worth sitting fourth on the ladder, and show the Pulse what they can do with two wins on the trot. Meanwhile the Pulse will work hard to get another win on the board, with Lightning’s win-loss (4 – 3) record for 2019 playing on their minds as they come into the match. Pulse’s attack has been their main strength throughout the season so far, so they will want to come out firing against Lightning’s strong defensive midcourt and dominant backline. A win for the Lightning would continue their strong contention in the top four of the competition, while a loss could send them tumbling down the ladder once more.

The final Saturday match sees Wasps Netball come up against the Strathclyde Sirens at Ricoh Arena at 7pm. With the Wasps having dominated all season and the Sirens struggled to get wins on the board, it’s not hard to project the outcome of this match. The Sirens struggled against seventh ranked Severn Stars last week, only shooting 37 goals, while the Wasps registered their sixth win in a row with a convincing win over Team Bath. Between the game smarts of Wasp, Rachel Dunn and the flair of Siren, Cat Tuivaiti, it will certainly be an interesting matchup between highly different sides, with key goal shooters heading to the circle up both ends.

On Monday night the Severn Stars will host Saracens Mavericks at the University of Worchester Arena at 7pm. Both sides kept their Round 7 opposition to only 37 goals, proving how influential their respective defensive efforts can be on game day. Though the Stars made it to the winners list this week after a convincing onslaught against the Sirens, they sit in seventh with just two wins on the board for the season so far. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have now maintained their position of second on the ladder over two consecutive weeks, a momentum boost that will also help their confidence coming into another match against a lower ranked team. The Stars have been coming along well in 2019, with different players stepping up each week to get the job done, but it’s hard to argue with the impact the Mavericks shooters can have on a game.

The final match of the week will see a replacement Round 2 match played on Wednesday evening between Wasps Netball and Manchester Thunder at 7:30pm at Ricoh Arena, with both sides coming off a short break between matches (five and four days, respectively). Ladder leaders, Wasps Netball will be looking to back up their strong start to the season when they take on the Thunder, a side that has consistently stayed in the top four, having only dropped one match for the year in a surprise loss to Loughborough Lightning. Third ranked Thunder will need to lift if they want to push Wasps at top strength and at their home court, while the Wasps can’t go into this game too lightly, as the Thunder have the work ethic to get the job done when their opposition settles.